Broadband Technology Research Articles

Broadband Services Quality of Experience on Public Higher Educational Institution Users: A Research Direction

Internet access is crucial in facilitating effective learning and communication. However, disparities in internet quality persist, especially within Public Higher Educational Institutions (PHEIs). Despite efforts by broadband providers to enhance services, complaints regarding quality persist among students and staff. Thus, this research aims to investigate users' Quality of Experience (QoE) with broadband services in PHEI campuses, focusing on coverage, service quality, reliability, and usability. Additionally, it seeks to identify user preferences and usage patterns, correlate broadband quality with user satisfaction, and propose improvements. A comprehensive methodology integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches, including surveys, and interviews is proposed. The implications of this research extend to regulatory and policy actions, including infrastructure improvement, ensuring quality of service, supporting online learning, and encouraging research and innovation in broadband technologies. This study aims to inform stakeholders and contribute to enhancing broadband access and quality in PHEIs, ultimately improving educational outcomes and experiences.

Exploration of low-frequency broadband potential in three metamaterial configurations

Low frequency broadband is still challenging for metamaterial design. This study delves into the exploration of low-frequency broadband potential within three distinct configurations. We explore the analytic sound absorption models for Helmholtz resonators, films and locally resonant structure (membrane film with additional mass). The research investigates the capabilities and possibilities of achieving frequencies below 1000Hz for each configuration. Through a comprehensive analysis, the study aims to uncover the unique advantages and challenges associated with these three setups, shedding light on their potential applications in diverse fields. We also perform related tests for each configuration. Test results confirm the analytical models but they also highlight the benefits and drawbacks of various configurations. These findings provide valuable insights into the understanding of low-frequency broadband technology and pave the way for further advances in related areas.

Network Optimization using Real Time Polling Service With and Without Relay Station in WiMAX Networks

IEEE 802.16 can be seen as a compelling replacement for conventional broadband technologies because its primary goal is to provide Broadband Wireless Access (BWA). The variable and uncertain nature of wireless networks makes it much more challenging to ensure QoS in this network. WiMAX Technology is used to support various quality of services which includes UGS, rtps, nrtps, ertps and Best Effort. This study employs an IEEE 802.16 network simulator, which offers adaptable and reliable features for assessing a particular QoS parameters for rtps. Achieving better internet performance in real time services is a challenge now a days, and it is also need of present scenario. This work emphasized on better internet service with good quality of service using rtps with Relay Station and Without Relay Station. In this work the CBR packet size, CBR data rate and data rate with rtps service are fine-tuned for achieving the better performance with good quality of service. When comparing uplink connections in rtps with and without relay station, it is found that the throughput in the uplink is 200% greater when using a relay station. The throughput and goodput are evaluated in uploading and downloading with single and multiple subscriber stations and observed that the multiple subscriber stations in downloading give better performance as compare to single subscriber stations. The throughput and goodput in single subscriber stations is better than multiple subscriber station in uploading. the Academic researchers and commercial developers can use this analysis to validate different WiMAX Network implementation mechanisms and parameters.

Navigating the Digital Twin Network landscape: A survey on architecture, applications, privacy and security

In recent years, immense developments have occurred in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the spread of broadband and ubiquitous connectivity technologies. This has led to the development and commercialization of Digital Twin (DT) technology. The widespread adoption of DT has resulted in a new network paradigm called Digital Twin Networks (DTNs), which orchestrate through the networks of ubiquitous DTs and their corresponding physical assets. DTNs create virtual twins of physical objects via DT technology and realize the co-evolution between physical and virtual spaces through data processing, computing, and DT modeling. The high volume of user data and the ubiquitous communication systems in DTNs come with their own set of challenges. The most serious issue here is with respect to user data privacy and security because users of most applications are unaware of the data that they are sharing with these platforms and are naive in understanding the implications of the data breaches. Also, currently, there is not enough literature that focuses on privacy and security issues in DTN applications. In this survey, we first provide a clear idea of the components of DTNs and the common metrics used in literature to assess their performance. Next, we offer a standard network model that applies to most DTN applications to provide a better understanding of DTN’s complex and interleaved communications and the respective components. We then shed light on the common applications where DTNs have been adapted heavily and the privacy and security issues arising from the DTNs. We also provide different privacy and security countermeasures to address the previously mentioned issues in DTNs and list some state-of-the-art tools to mitigate the issues. Finally, we provide some open research issues and problems in the field of DTN privacy and security.

Analysis of radio frequency spectrum planning and allocation for the deployment of new modern broadband networks and technologies

When analyzing the planning and distribution of the radio frequency spectrum on a global and European scale, the need to manage the radio frequency spectrum is taken into account, which is in accordance with the provisions of the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union, the decisions and recommendations of the European Commission and the Electronic Communications Committee of the European Conference by post and telecommunications. The analysis in the management of the radio frequency spectrum is also in accordance with the Bulgarian legislation, in which the principles of legality, predictability, transparency, publicity, consultativeness, equality, proportionality, neutrality in relation to the technologies used and/or the services provided and reducing the regulatory intervention to the minimum required. The basic principles of spectrum management and allocation involve a combination of technical, regulatory and organizational considerations. The purpose of writing the article is to analyze spectrum efficiency and the adaptation of spectrum management policies to evolving technologies and market dynamics.

A MIMO-Based Dual Polarized Antenna Applicable for Mobile Terminal

At present, numerous small-size mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones, have embedded the antenna in the cases, which will lead to considerable restrictions on the space for installing multiple antennas. Aiming at the requirements of rational design and layout of multi-antennas for MIMO mobile terminals and combining with the broadband and miniaturization technologies, a dual polarized antenna suitable for mobile terminals was designed in this paper through an adoption of polarization diversity. For a dual polarized multilayered micro-strip antenna with a ground plate, it is easy to be conformal to the carrier. In this paper, the design and the process of simulation optimization of the antenna unit were analyzed in detail. The bandwidth of the antenna unit was 1890 to 2200 MHz, the return loss was superior to -33dB, and both of the horizontal polarization gain and the vertical polarization gain were 8.2 dB. Accordingly, the characteristics of a high gain and dual polarization were achieved.

Reviewing wireless broadband technologies in the peak smartphone era: 6G versus Wi-Fi 7 and 8

With the arrival of the peak smartphone era, users are upgrading their smartphones less frequently, and data growth is decelerating. To ensure effective spectrum management decisions, policy makers require a thorough understanding of prospective wireless broadband technologies, current trends and emerging issues. Here, we review the sixth cellular generation (‘6G’), in comparison to two new Wi-Fi standards, including IEEE 802.11be (‘Wi-Fi 7’) and IEEE 802.11bn (‘Wi-Fi 8’). We identify three emerging issues necessary for successful telecommunication policy. Firstly, evidenced-based policy making needs to be able to measure effectively how much demand takes place where and how. Thus, new datasets are needed reflecting real usage by different wireless broadband technologies, for indoor and outdoor users. Secondly, with data consumption growth slowing, there needs to be an urgent reassessment of spectrum demand versus allocation. Past forecasts do not reflect recent data and regulators urgently need to re-evaluate the implications for spectrum management. Finally, regulators need new and improved Lifecycle Impact Assessment metrics of cellular versus Wi-Fi architectures, to support successful policy decisions which mitigate energy and emissions impacts.

BROADBAND ACCESS, SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, AND SELF-REPORTED HEALTH IN A RURAL COMMUNITY SAMPLE OF OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Social connections provide older persons with access to important resources supporting their physical and psychological health. People aging in rural areas may have more challenges to maintaining and developing social connectedness because of geographic separation with friends, neighbors, and family members. One way to mitigate the risk of reduced social connectedness is by using internet-enabled technologies to facilitate social connections. However, these solutions are also limited by internet access, stability, and questions about whether or not technology enabled connections are able to meet needs for social connections. The objective of this study was to examine the role of internet access to (a) social connectedness and (b) self-rated health (SRH) and direct and indirect pathways from internet access to SRH. We used data collected in 2020 during the height of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns from a random sample of about 450 people aged 50 years old or older living in rural counties in Arkansas. Path analyses were used to regress participants’ self-reported health on social connectedness and examine direct and indirect pathways from internet access to health. Interestingly, we found that internet access was positively related to self-reported health, but was fully mediated through social connectedness. Moreover, these relationships remained significant even after controlling for variabilities in income. Although more research is needed, these results suggest that maintaining social connections using the internet was an effective approach to support the health of the older rural persons and has policy implications for maintaining and continuing to increase stable broad-band technologies for rural areas.

Competitive Effects of Fixed Wireless Access on Wireline Broadband Technologies

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the potential consumer savings to U.S. home broadband consumers in cable modem monopoly markets, should fixed wireless access technologies become available as a competitive alternative. We use a Choice-Based Conjoint survey and Hierarchical Bayes estimation to calculate the proportion of home broadband consumers that would switch to a fixed wireless access option if it was made available in a cable modem monopoly market. We then utilize a monopoly pricing model to estimate the downward pricing pressure this competition would place on incumbent cable modem monopoly prices. We find that fixed wireless entry at current prices would convert 18 percent of cable-only households and lead to a 37 percent reduction in the price of cable modem service. We also find entry into non-monopoly markets where a fiber-optic broadband alternative already exists, and find muted conversion rates and price reductions. Our results indicate that the deployment of fixed-wireless access would generate substantial consumer savings in cable modem monopoly markets, which constitute 30 precent all cable modem subscribers in the United States.

Lumped Folded Michelson Interferometer Modulators With Broadband Technologies

Lumped Folded Michelson Interferometer Modulators With Broadband Technologies

Frequency response of terahertz electro-optic sampling detection technology with thin GaSe crystal

GaSe crystal has good applications in the broadband terahertz pulse generation and electro-optic sampling detection technology. In this paper, the frequency responses of GaSe crystal with different thicknesses in the electro-optic sampling (EOS) detection technology are investigated based on the numerical calculations. Then, the pulse distortions of terahertz induced by the EOS detection technology with thin GaSe crystal are investigated. It is found that the lower the central frequency of the terahertz pulse is, the less the distortion is. When the central frequency of terahertz pulse is higher than 4 THz, the pulse distortions, including the frequency shift and the bandwidth changing, are greatly obvious. Both induced by the EOS technology with different thickness of GaSe crystal are also given in detail. This work provides a good reference to evaluate the performance of EOS detection technology with thin GaSe crystal in the broadband terahertz science and technology.

Determinants of intra‐COMESA trade in services

AbstractThis paper analyzes intra‐Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) trade in services by establishing its determinants and exploring the role of trade facilitation on the same. The study relies on the Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood (PPML) estimator of the gravity model on bilateral services trade data for total services and eight categories of services in 17 COMESA countries from 2005 to 2019. Results reveal that several factors determine intra‐COMESA services trade, the salient ones being GDP (exporter's and importer's), distance, contiguity, and time zone differences. Trading under a service‐specific trade agreement affects a few services: transport and other business services exports. The effect is positive for transport services and negative for other business services exports. Trade facilitation measures, especially broadband technologies, significantly improve services trade across various sectors. A key policy implication of our results is that service trade is more likely to grow through digital, information, and communication infrastructure development. Thus, policy should prioritize increasing access and usage of broadband technologies.

The complex temporal dynamics of an emerging infrastructure innovation: revisiting the ‘failure’ of the ‘successful’ innovation of Wireless Broadband (WiBro) in South Korea

ABSTRACT This paper explores the complex temporal dynamics of innovation through a longitudinal study encompassing the dramatic ‘failure’ of South Korea’s flagship WiBro (wireless broadband) technology and services to achieve widespread uptake, following their apparently ‘successful’ development and launch. WiBro emerged in Korea by enrolling diverse actors with diverging orientations around a compelling broad vision and expected national and international markets. Launched in 2006, with buoyant expectations, WiBro failed to establish critical mass in mainstream markets in the face of growing competition from rapidly evolving mobile telephone technologies. Though players committed to WiBro managed to establish some specific niche markets, the service was finally terminated in 2018. This eventual failure was rooted in a sequence of decisions as orientations shifted over the course of WiBro’s innovation. Generic and largely untested expectations were initially productive in enrolling a wide range of players in developing WiBro. However, tensions became acute as roll-out approached when the growing investments required to install a novel telecommunications infrastructure and launch WiBro services provoked more stringent assessment of specific options. As the stakes became higher, alignments shifted in a changing sociotechnical landscape; submerged differences in orientation resurfaced and commitments unravelled.

AN ENHANCED RESOURCE ALLOCATION SCHEME FOR LONG TERM EVOLUTION ADVANCED NETWORK

The emerging Long-Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) is an extended version of Long-Term Evolution (LTE) fourth-generation (4G) wireless broadband technologies that supports high speed transmission of multimedia applications, like video streaming, multimedia online game, Voice over IP (VoIP), browsing over the web etc. The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) does not define a standard packet scheduling strategy in LTE-A. Therefore, it is expected for researchers and network service providers to design efficient schemes. This paper proposed an Enhanced Resource Allocation Scheme (E-RAS) that improves the packet scheduling strategy of LTE-A by addressing issues related to delay and fairness of users with both high and low channel conditions, for both Real Time (RT) and Non-Real Time (NRT) flows. The aim was achieved by using a fair spectrum allocation mechanism that consider the priority of RT flows of cell-centre users, without neglecting the throughput requirements of edge-centre users. Moreover, the proposed algorithm introduces an efficient traffic load balancing mechanism to efficiently regulate traffic load in LTE-A network. To evaluate the proposed scheme, simulation was conducted using the MATLAB programming with LTE-A system level simulator. The result obtained shows that the proposed scheme achieves better delay for RT and NRT traffics by 7% and 11% respectively as against the Resource Allocation Scheme to Optimize the Throughput (RASOT) scheme.

Economic growth and broadband access: The European urban-rural digital divide

This paper estimates the regional effects of high-speed broadband coverage on economic growth in a panel of 1348 regions across all European Union Member States between 2011 and 2018. We distinguish between different connectivity speed levels by aggregating the available regional data across all existing broadband technologies, and investigate how regional differences in the contribution of broadband coverage to real economic growth can quantitatively explain the persistence of the European urban-rural digital divide. In order to make our results robust to endogeneity and disaggregated data availability issues, we employ a bootstrap-based bias correction for the dynamic fixed effects estimator. We find that expansions in the provision of lower-speed broadband access accelerated annual per capita growth in both urban and rural regions through diminishing returns to scale, but that the effects were weaker in those regions characterized by larger ruralization. High-speed broadband coverage, on the contrary, could only be significantly related to rural economic growth and had no impact within their urban counterparts. We find evidence that the costs of these high-speed rural connectivity expansions had not yet been offset, but that they exhibit increasing returns to scale with cut-off levels nearing full coverage. These results indicate that the high-speed digital expansion of rural Europe is a potential gamechanger for further rural development policies through its role as a general-purpose infrastructure, and consequently argue in favour of increased efforts to close the urban-rural digital gap.

Digital highways and firm turnover

AbstractWe study the impact of ultra‐broadband (UBB) internet connections on firm entry and exit dynamics. These connections are based on optical fiber cables that link telecommunication operators to final users, allowing a significantly higher performance compared with traditional copper‐line networks. We leverage on a unique comprehensive dataset collecting municipality‐level information on broadband diffusion and firm turnover in Italy for the period of 2012–2019. Our empirical strategy exploits the staggered roll‐out of UBB, starting from 2015. Our identification strategy is based on an instrumental variable approach that exploits plausibly exogenous variation in the physical and geographical peculiarities of the telecommunication infrastructure. Results suggest that UBB increases firm exit, particularly for small firms. On the contrary, firm entry rises only in digital intensive sectors and in the most developed geographical areas. Our findings have important implications for the ongoing debate around the massive investments in high‐speed digital infrastructures, as they argue against the conventional idea that business activities equally benefit from last‐generation broadband technologies.

The Multi-Technology Footprint of the National Broadband Network in Australia: Exploring the Urban-Regional Divide and Socio-spatial Patterns for Inequality

The recent global pandemic renewed the importance of telecommunication infrastructure, as many COVID responses (e.g., working from home, home-schooling, e-commerce) were challenged by the inequity of access to broadband services and its underlying network. This paper examines the geospatial footprint of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in relation to the demographics of Australia’s cities and regions. Through data made available by the NBN, which describes the technologies used in its multi-technology mix platform, and published demographic data available via the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), we explore the equity of access to broadband technologies across the nation. The results show a persistent urban-regional divide in the NBN. The paper also offers a brief assessment of the complex and contradictory ways policy responses attempt to mitigate the digital divide, including updates to the national infrastructure project plans.

A Multioctave 8 GHz$-$40 GHz Receiver for Radio Astronomy

Accurate measurement of angular positions on the sky requires a well-defined system of reference, something that in practice is realized by the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) with observations of distant (typical redshift <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula> 1) Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). At such great distances a subset of these objects exhibit as little as 10 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula> 50 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu$</tex-math></inline-formula> as/year observed parallax or proper motion, thus giving the frame excellent spatial and temporal stability. Until fairly recently the majority of AGN centered imaging was accomplished in the S (2.3 GHz) and X (8.4 GHz) radio frequency bands, however S-band observations for reasons such as sensitivity “plateauing”, increased source structure (jets), and radio frequency interference (RFI) have become less productive. Following spacecraft telemetry moves to higher frequencies and a desire to strengthen JPL's leadership in defining the next-generation of celestial reference frames has motivated the development of a “Quad-band” prototype receiver that operates in X, Ku, K, and Ka band in both right hand (RCP) and left hand (LCP) circular polarization. The goal of this receiver is to achieve less than a 20 % increase in noise over the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA, NRAO) performance specification, which in such a wide bandwidth represents a revolutionary capability. To evaluate the various technical developments of the 8 GHz <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula> 40 GHz receiver the feedhorn optical beam was designed to interface to the US based Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). The receiver's intermediate frequency (IF) spans 4 GHz <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula> 8 GHz, giving rise to up to eight 4 GHz IF channels for a fully populated instrument. This paper outlines the technical development of a 2 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{1}$</tex-math></inline-formula> / <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> octave wide (8 GHz <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula> 40 GHz) X-Ka band prototype receiver, fulfilling a need for super broadband technology within the VLBI network. An important additional benefit of the wideband receiver approach is its simplicity and low cost of operation.

Demographic Data Associated With Digital Inequity Reported in Patient-to-Provider Teledermatology Studies in the United States From 2011 to 2021: Scoping Review.

Patient-to-provider teledermatology relies on a patient's access to technology to ensure a successful visit. However, access to broadband internet and technology varies across populations in the United States-leading to the digital divide. While teledermatology has been recognized as a model to improve access, little is known about how often demographic data associated with digital inequity are captured in studies. Given the expansion of teledermatology over the past decade, we sought to determine how often demographic data associated with digital inequity are reported in patient-to-provider teledermatology studies. A scoping literature review search was conducted using the search term teledermatology in the following databases: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. All studies published between December 31, 2011, and December 31, 2021, that evaluated patient-to-provider teledermatology were eligible. In total, 1412 publications describing teledermatology were identified, of which 46 met the inclusion criteria. Race or ethnicity was the most frequently reported demographic characteristic (28/46, 61%). However, only 41% (19/46) of studies were representative of race or ethnicity, defined as including >20% nonwhite participants. Studies rarely reported the number of participants greater than 65 years of age (14/46, 30%), preferred language (9/46, 20%), income (6/46, 13%), highest level of education (5/46, 11%), or access to a device (4/46, 9%). Studies conducted after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly more likely to report preferred language (9/25, 36% vs 0%; P=.002) and appeared more likely to report other demographic data associated with digital inequity, without reaching statistical significance (P>.05). Demographic data associated with digital inequity are rarely reported in patient-to-provider teledermatology studies to date. These studies frequently lack adequate representation of racial and ethnic minorities. With increased calls for equitable representation in dermatology studies, future teledermatology studies can improve the reporting of race and ethnicity and consider demographic data associated with digital inequity as an important criterion in research design.

Broadband Technology, Aging, and Mental Health

Broadband Technology, Aging, and Mental Health